Walls and bridges: knowledge spillover between ‘superdutch’ architectural firms
- *Amsterdam Institute of Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt), Universiteit van Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. email: <R.C.Kloosterman{at}uva.nl>
- Received September 5, 2006.
- Accepted February 12, 2008.
Abstract
Innovation thrives on the face-to-face exchange of tacit knowledge. In this article, the focus is on how firms in a cutting-edge cultural industry, namely architectural design in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, can exchange knowledge. By using in-depth interviews with the main players in this field, I have explored different conduits for the exchange of knowledge. These conduits turned out to be rather different than was expected: the importance of the individual signature creates high walls between firms and no project-based organizations were found. Instead, the spin-offs, the highly mobile labour pool and the dedicated institutions function as bridges for knowledge exchange.
Key words
- spillovers
- project-based organizations
- agglomeration
- architectural practices
- cultural industries
- The Netherlands
- Rotterdam
JEL codes
- © The Author (2008). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
